The Democratic Party on May 15 responded to allegations of collusion made by Kim Du-gyeom, the candidate from the People Power Party, regarding the unification of progressive candidates for the Ulsan mayoral election. The party expressed confidence that there would be no unification with independent candidate Park Maeng-woo. While Kim Sang-wook of the Democratic Party and Kim Jong-hoon of the Justice Party agreed to unify their candidacies through a poll-based primary, discussions between Kim Du-gyeom and Park on unification have stalled, raising concerns about the conservative candidates' prospects. However, the unification of progressive candidates could potentially accelerate talks between Kim Du-gyeom and Park.
During a press conference at the National Assembly, Cho Seung-rae questioned the basis of Kim Du-gyeom's claims, stating, "What evidence do you have to assert collusion?" He further explained that the decision to unify was made out of a desperate need to correct Ulsan's governance and prevent the People Power Party from regaining power. On the previous day, Hwang Myung-pil, the Ulsan mayoral candidate from the Justice Party, had withdrawn in support of Kim Sang-wook.
Additionally, Cho addressed the Pyeongtaek by-election, stating, "Currently, there are no ongoing discussions with the Justice Party." The race has seen sharp exchanges between Democratic candidate Kim Yong-nam and Justice Party candidate Cho Guk, complicating the possibility of unification.
Moreover, regarding the support for Cho from Lee Ho-cheol, a former chief of the Civil Affairs Office during the Roh Moo-hyun administration, Cho remarked, "We consider actions by our party members supporting candidates from other parties or independents as inappropriate, and we will make a comprehensive judgment on this matter."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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